I thought I'd share with y'all a birthday party I designed for two-year-old Katie a few years ago. We held the party at her parent’s home, Front Porch Farms located in Charlotte, Tennessee. It is not only Kathy and Brian Best's family home, but also a wedding and event venue. I remember thinking back then how exciting it was that they not only got to live in the country, but they also got to share their home with others through celebrations like weddings held on their property. Who would have guessed that years later, Josh and I would be doing the same thing!

Party Details

For Katie’s party, I wanted to use soft pastel colors, including pinks, greens and yellows. In addition, I wanted to create a fun dessert buffet and take the party outdoors on her parent's porch. I also incorporated some of her mom's antiques into the decor.

Details and DIY Info:

I LOVE to bake, so I was so excited to put together this candy and dessert spread for the party.

Marshmallows on a Stick

Large Marshmallows

Wilton Chocolates, (I used “Colorburst pastel chocolates”)

Pink cake sprinkles

Ribbon

Lollipop Sticks

Melt the chocolate according to package instructions. Immediately take a skewered marshmallow and dip in the chocolate. Gently tap over a bowl to remove the excess. Allow to stand upright in a block of foam to dry the chocolate-covered marshmallow upside down. Then, immediately coat with sprinkles. Tie with a ribbon to finish it off. I put all of these on a styrofoam sheet and covered the sheet with pink cotton candy in my antique box I spray painted.

Rice Krispy Treat stars

Directions:

Make Rice Krispy treats according to package directions and pour in a jelly roll pan. Once it’s cooled, cut using assorted cookie cutters. Put on lollipop sticks. Tie with a ribbon to finish it off! These can be done using a variety of shapes and different colors of ribbon. Kids are great helpers with this recipe as well. I placed these in various containers filled with pink cotton candy.

Strawberry Party Cupcakes

I cheated this time and used a store bought cake mix. When you’re doing a dessert buffet, you have several options. You can bake from scratch, buy a cake mix or purchase from a bakery. Do whatever your schedule allows! I dressed up mine with whipped frosting and a simple pink cake sprinkle garnish.

I also baked half of the batch in ice cream cones filled ¾ths of the way full. You can place the cones in a muffin pan and they’ll stand upright in the oven. Use the same baking time as you do for cupcakes and check with a toothpick for doneness. Frost with icing and top with pink sprinkles. I displayed these in fun ice cream cone holders.

Dipped Pretzel Rods

Wilton’s Melting Chocolate

Pretzel Rods

Assorted Toppings, sprinkles, coconut, nonpareils, etc.

Melt chocolate according to package instructions and dip one end of the pretzel rod into the melted chocolate. Immediately roll in your toppings and place on wax paper to cool and harden.

Paper Mache letters

I purchased 2 “K”s of different sizes. I spray-painted each of them with a soft pink spray paint. On the smaller K, I hot glued green button mums to fill the entire “k.” On the larger one, I hot glued pink carnations to fill the entire letter. I hung them using ribbon in coordinating colors.

Drink Tags for mason jars

Straws

Cardstock or scrapbook paper

Scissors

I thought drink tags would be a fun addition to this dessert table. I simply cut a circle using a scrapbook puncher and scrapbook paper. I then cut a smaller scalloped card, and affixed it to the larger circle with double-sided tape. I finished it off with a cute sticker and matching pink ribbon.

Special Thanks:

All Photo Credits go to Heather Sisemore Photography; 3-tiered cake designed by Jay Qualls and the printed paper goods designed by Lisa Sarmento

8 days to Christmas-are y’all getting excited like my house is?!
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We have some family Christmas 🎄 traditions that we look forward to each year.
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We love attending the candlelight service at church on Christmas Eve. There’s something magical about singing hymns with just the glow of 🕯 surrounding you. As soon as we leave church, we eat Chinese-just like on #thechristmasstory
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We also decided early on in our marriage not to give each other gifts on Christmas. Honestly, we tend to do so many house projects, we laugh and say our Christmas gifts are usually new flooring, new paint jobs or some other renovation project🤣
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Speaking of gifts, when our kids were born we told Santa 🎅🏻 that he only needed to bring them 3 🎁 each. They think long and hard on what they want their three to be each year✨
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This year, I’m excited to try a new gift exchange with my family. All the adults are bringing one “as seen on TV” gift, and we are playing a game to see who gets each gift!
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Do you have a holiday tradition you look forward to each year? Drop your favorite below👇🏻

I’m dreaming of blue skies and the 🌊 today.
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A few weeks ago, I conquered my fear of being out on a boat in the ocean to go deep-sea fishing 🐠 I also touched a fish for probably the first time in my life😜
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I grew up fishing with my parents on Lake Graham, but I never baited my own hook or touched a fish when I caught one.
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Looking back on this little 6-hour trip we took, if I had said “no” because I was scared, I would have missed seeing sea creatures I’d never seen before. I would have missed watching my daughter bait her own hook! I would have missed one of the best days out on the ocean with my family as we reeled in some pretty amazing fish 🎣 .
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Saying “yes” even when we are scared can allow us to experience moments we otherwise would miss.
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Dale Carnegie said, “If you want to conquer fear, don’t sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” Pretty good advice, if you ask me✨ #livethelittlethings #lifeofadventure

These two will leave our venue tonight as Mr. and Mrs.💕
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Happy wedding day to Emily and John✨ 📷: @kristajoyphotography